Ghost Pains
by TurboNerdQueen
Summary: "Came here to visit a friend. Isn't that right, Uh-vatar?" He drawled, raising a brow at her. She wordlessly nodded, looking over at the others and giving them a tired smile.


The news spread fast throughout the city of Amon's truth, of his defeat and the sacrifice the Avatar paid for bringing him down. Everyone was conflicted on how to take this all in: happy for the truth being told, mad that everything was just one lie after another, saddened by the loss of a leader, lost as to what would become of their Avatar now that she was without most of her bending. The small group on the island had decided to venture to the South Pole in an attempt to heal her. They would leave by morning's light, yet as they began to pack their few belongings they weren't expecting a visitor, especially at such a late hour.

They certainly weren't expecting it to be the former Wolfbat captain. He had seen better days for sure, his once well kept hair a slight mess, dark shadows under his eyes and a small grin on his face. Mako eyed him warily, stepping forward in front of the Avatar.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice tired yet bitter. Tahno looked over the firebender's shoulder at Korra, meeting her eyes. They stared at one another in silence, each seeing the sadness and fragility in one another. Slowly, she stepped around Mako and stood in front of the ex-bender.

"Came here to visit a friend. Isn't that right, Uh-vatar?" He drawled, raising a brow at her. She wordlessly nodded, looking over at the others and giving them a tired smile.

"We're just going to take a walk for a minute. Things to… talk about." She said. The others seemed hesitant, yet stayed behind as the two ex-benders walked towards the docks. They sat on the ledge, letting their feet hang off the side just above the water's surface. Not a word was spoken between the two, both knowing just how the other felt. To have something like that taken away was like losing a part of the soul, losing a part of their being.

"I can still feel it. Almost… almost like a ghost pain or something." She whispered softly, chuckling humorlessly. The ex-probender looked at her out of the corner of his eye, nodding to himself. He could relate: most of Amon's victims could. He saw a former waterbender making wild accusations that the small ripple in a puddle was caused by him. He scratched his head and sighed.

"Yeah… you get use to it soon enough." He said, leaning back on the pillar and looking at the darkened sky. It was a lie, of course. There were still days where he woke, hoping it was all just a bad dream. He would try to bend the nearest bit of water around him, accept it was the truth after a few moments of frustration and go about his day. Tahno felt a water drop hit his cheek followed by another, soon leading to a downpour. Korra cupped her hands, letting the rain gather in her palms with a heartbroken expression.

"When I was little, I would bend the snow and rain into different shapes to pass the time. I would make little polarbear dogs, flying bisons, and even people." She laughed, her voice breaking at the end. Tahno frowned as he saw her shoulders began to shake, having a sinking suspicion it wasn't from the chill in the air. He sat up and leaned closer, draping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his side. The action must have caught the girl off guard, but soon she dropped the water in her hands, burying her face in his chest to hide her tears.

"Think of it this way. If your Fire Weasel friends ask if you were crying, you can tell them it was the rain." He smirked, feeling her cough out a small chuckle. She pulled back some, looking up at the other.

"Didn't take you for being the nice guy." She jeered, her voice thick with emotion and her eyes red from the tears. Tahno shrugged.

"Yeah well, I've had plenty of time to think. Plus, seeing a girl cry brings out the big brother in me. Even for you, Uh-vatar." He replied, giving her his trademark grin. She laughed again, shoving him back and wiping her eyes. His grin turned to one of genuine sincerity for a moment before vanishing. The two former waterbender's stood and began the walk back to the temple, shaking their heads free of the water.

"Though if you're still interested in those private lessons…"

"Don't push it, pretty boy."


End file.
